Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-HammelThe Rev. Tarcisio Bagatin, left, of the St. Charles Mission Center kisses the ring of Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the archbishop of Naples, Italy, during a visit to Casa Belvedere, The Italian Cultural Foundation, on Grymes Hill.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, visited Casa Belvedere, The Italian Cultural Foundation, Grymes Hill, Thursday as part of a tour of the five boroughs.

One of the most notable leaders in Naples and of Italy's Campania region, Cardinal Sepe was in New York City this week for a series of events, "Dire Napoli" (Telling Naples) -- "Don't Close the Door on Hope," promoting Naples. He was accompanied to Casa Belvedere by Francesco Talo, counsel general of Italy, and Vincenzo Scotti, under-secretary for foreign affairs of Italy.

The cardinal, who made a speech in Italian, was presented with a flag of New York City by state Sen. Diane Savino and city Councilman Vincent Gentile.

Ms. Savino accompanied the cardinal on a tour of Ellis Island that morning and noted that it was the gateway for Italian immigrants nearly 100 years ago.

"The first thing they saw as they came into New York Harbor was Staten Island on one side and the Statue of Liberty on the other side," Ms. Savino said.

Most of the current Staten Island politicians are Italian, she said.

Gentile noted that nine members of the City Council were of Italian heritage. Historically and now, Italian Americans, Gentile said, are part of "every aspect of New York City and what makes New York City great."

Staten Island has the highest concentration of Italian Americans in the U.S., and they are a substantial portion of parishioners in the Roman Catholic parishes in this borough, noted Rev. Robert Aufieri, pastor of Holy Rosary R.C. Church, South Beach. The Rev. Aufieri, director of the Italian Apostolate of the Archdiocese of New York, was representing Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who coincidentally was in Italy.

"His Eminence's decision to include Staten Island on his schedule and specifically Casa Belvedere is a testament to the significance of both -- within the Italian-American and Catholic communities in New York specifically and the United States generally," said Louis Calvelli, executive director of Casa Belvedere.

Cardinal Sepe also visited the display, "Presepio," a Neapolitan Nativity scene that was crafted in Naples by the noted artist Maestro Ferrigno. Named, "The Nativity of Peace," in honor of the victims of the attacks on 9/11, the Presepio is a gift from the Campania Region to the Federazione delle Associazioni della Campania, USA.

Casa Belvedere is a non-profit organization that seeks to preserve, promote, and celebrate the rich heritage of Italy by encouraging an appreciation of the Italian language, arts, literature, history, fashion, cuisine, and commerce through various educational programs, exhibits and events.